The Perfect Choice
by R.V. Bali
Summary: Elena needs to decide, who will it be? The ruggedly handsome brother from the wrong side of tracks, or the heroic brother she first fell for? A DELENA FANFIC.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer** : I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any and all of the characters and settings used.

**Author's Note** : This is my second story. Post 3x07. Enjoy reading. Reviews, suggestions and comments are very much appreciated.

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><p><strong>THE PERFECT CHOICE<strong>

**By Veronica Bali**

**Chapter 1 : Sweet Remorse**

I knew it was one of those situations I just had to avoid.

I tightened my grip on the ledge, too scared that I might fall off balance from the absorbing gaze Damon gave me. Heat washed over me and my heart worked in quick beats. His dark hair and chiseled features made me stare at him without blinking. But it was his eyes that caught me off guard, the icy blue color you could just never forget. He moved towards me, closing the last inch that separated us, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. He placed one of his hands onto the back of my neck, the other traveled up my spine, sending shivers through my body.

"Now is your only chance to leave, Elena," Damon warned me. Though it sounded more of a tease than a heads-up.

_I think I should probably go_, I wanted to say it. I wanted to run and hide. But instead, I stood there like a curious little girl wanting to see what would happen next.

Slowly, he bent his head and eased his searching lips over mine. His mouth caught my top lip, then my lower one. I put my fists between us, my arms clutched over my chest. I couldn't make myself push him away, but neither could I let him hold me completely. Everytime I thought the kiss might stop, it went on longer and deeper. And it felt good. I have to admit that it did. I never thought kissing Damon would be such a sweet remorse. He was too gentle that I had to open my eyes and make sure it was really him. It surprised me that Damon, who seemed to always have the upper hand, was fighting for control and self-restraint.

I was sure he didn't want to push me. But deep inside, I knew he wanted to take all of me.

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><p><em><strong>Two days ago<strong>_

"Ric deciphered the rest of it. So apparently, the Original Mother's name is Esther, and his husband is Mikael," I said, holding the phone closer to my ear.

"Mikael?" A pause, "Mikael as in big bad scary vampire hunter?" Damon asked.

"Yup. Oh, and another name came up –" I added, "I think it was Pam? Pamela? I'll check with Ric to see – " Even before I could finish, the dial tone rung in my ears. Damon hung up on me. It was never him to just hang up, not without leaving any annoying or sarcastic remark. But I decided to let it go since I realized he had been on my head constantly the past days. And being too worried about him scared me, with what everyone around me had been saying, I don't quite know what to think of it anymore. I decided to drop by the Salvatore house. I poured myself a cup of coffee, and hurriedly drank in swigs. I swung my bag over my shoulder and was about to leave when Alaric came down the stairs.

"I take it you already told Damon about the Vikings?" he asked and walked towards the kitchen counter.

I nodded. "Hey Ric –" maybe it was too early to comment on it, but I couldn't stop myself, "I'm glad you and Damon are okay again."

Ric let out a sigh, and twitched his lip as if saying he did not have much choice in the matter. Except I knew exactly what it was like to be Damon's friend. He just grows on you, whether or not you want him to.

"You're going to the Salvatore's?"

"Stefan's still locked up and Damon's well, Damon. Gonna go check on him," I said, seeing the confusion in Ric's eyes. It was my guess that Ric was not sure which brother I was going to check on, hence the reaction. But the last thing I could do is blame him. Coz when I start to think about it, even _I_ am not sure myself.

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><p>I swung the door open, it was unlocked. "Damon?" I called out. No answer. I walked to the house's parlor, and no one was there. I have to admit that sometimes, the house still scares me. After all, it's still a vampire's house. Nervous and hesitating, I searched the house, but to no luck, no one was there. I headed to the jail cell, and carefully peeped through, Stefan was still there. It made me feel guilty that I let out a sigh of relief.<p>

I let myself in, and a pang of pain struck my heart. He was still, bloodied and exhausted. I moved closer to him, wary of what he would do, and then I brushed his shoulder with what courage I had left.

I cringed a little when he started moving, letting his head up to look at me.

"Elena?" He asked trying to clearly look at who was standing in front of him, "Elena. Elena, please let me out. Please." He continually pleaded, and left my heart breaking by the second. I started feeling small sobs work its way to me. I took a deep breath, and planted a calm face over my pain.

"I'm sorry Stefan, but you need to do this," I cupped his face, "You just need to fight Stefan."

I turned my back and headed to the door. I knew that if I stayed there, I would believe him. I would untie him, and I would regret it the minute after. I was almost to the door when I noticed him making random remarks under his breath that I didn't bother to listen to. I unfastened the door when suddenly he yelled in an angry rush, "I will kill you Elena the next chance I get to if you don't let me out of here!"

_It's not Stefan, Elena_. I repeatedly convinced myself. As if I did not have enough pain to deal with, I did not move, my feet firmly glued on the ground. I looked at him whose eyes were widened in fury. He abruptly let out a laugh, it was like he was changing personalities.

"Wait till you hear this," he mocked in satisfaction, "Damon is on his way to Kansas, to_ rekindle_ an old flame."

I closed the door behind me, and ran to my car. I just could not bear seeing Stefan anymore, something evil was inside him, something that scared me. _Rekindle an old flame?_ He was lying. He had to be lying.

There was no way Damon left everything just to see an old lover. I wanted to succumb to my convincing thoughts.

But to no reason, I picked up my phone and dialed Damon's number. If only I had known calling him was the last thing I should have done.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** : I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any and all of the characters and settings used.

**Author's Note** : This is my second story. Post 3x07. Enjoy reading. Reviews, suggestions and comments are very much appreciated.

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><p><strong>THE PERFECT CHOICE<strong>

**By Veronica Bali**

**Chapter 2 : Jealousy Strikes**

**_A day ago_**

"You're worrying a little too much." Caroline took a sip from her coffee, swinging her crossed legs in impatience.

I was instantly defensive, "I'm not. It's just weird." I looked around the café and everyone was too busy to even mind anyone else. The roadside highway was even busier, with people probably late in their 8 a.m. appointment. I looked back to Caroline who was still staring down at me, waiting for a detailed explanation.

I let her in on my thoughts, "It's just not Damon to leave town and dodge my calls overnight, especially when everything could not get any more complicated."

"Speaking of complications, how's Stefan and Rebekah?" she asked and I was partly relieved that she didn't comment on how I just spilled about Damon. I told her I saw Stefan yesterday, and that I'd rather not dwell into particulars. Rebekah had been MIA, and we both agreed it was good news. _At least there was good news_. Bonnie had been hung up with Jeremy and Tyler had disappeared right about the same time Rebekah left. Everything was just falling apart bit by bit.

"You _do_ know you have no hold on Damon right?" She quickly changed the topic, using her way with words, "I mean, it's not his responsibility to always talk to you, save you, protect you all that, he's not your boyfriend and he's not going to –" Caroline stopped, seeing my eyes were widened in surprise.

"I'm sorry. I just – I'm sorry Elena." She said, and I managed to curve my lips a little. I perfectly understood what she meant, and for the weirdest reason, it made me feel uncomfortable. It would be a lie to say that I haven't been reliant on on Damon. Because I have and I am.

As if on cue, my phone rang. I immediately rummaged through my purse, took it and answered in breathless relief. "Hello?"

But the voice was not Damon's.

"Hi." It was a woman's voice, "You called Damon a couple of times yesterday, I was worried it might be an emergency."

I gripped my phone so hard, I was surprised it didn't break. "Is he alright? Where is he?" I asked. I took a second to look at Caroline, who was listening intently, ready to take note of my reaction to what the woman was about to say.

"He's fine," I heard a smile through her voice, "He's out but he'll be back. Do you want to leave a message?"

"Just tell him Elena called and tha – " before I could even fathom the surge of emotions coming to me, I heard a door's hinges creak and a familiar voice say, "Who is it?"

"It's Elena," I heard the woman say before she turned to the phone, " Damon's here."

After a while, Damon's deep voice settled all the worries I have been trying to conceal, "Hey Elena, you okay?"

"Can you come back now?" It was all I could muster to say. And it seemed selfish in my point of view, but it made me feel better. Caroline gave me a questioning look. Surely, I will not be easily let off after.

"Yeah. I'll meet you at the house in an hour."

I finally came through to a real smile before I hung up, leaving Caroline more intrigued. I sipped from my coffee, it was almost cold, much like the palm of my hands. I didn't know why I still had a certain feeling of anxiety. I didn't want to find out. But Caroline thought she had it all figured out, she commented "So… I was wrong, maybe you do have a hold on Damon, but the more important question is," she paused, "does he have a hold on you?" It almost caused me to fall off my chair.

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><p>I was an hour early when I arrived at the Salvatore's. I wanted to go see Stefan, but I decided against it, instead I sat down at the living room and waited. The phone call with Damon kept replaying in my head. I wanted to deny that I didn't feel a hole form in my gut when I heard a woman answer his phone, but I can't. <em>I'm not jealous<em>. I tried to convince myself. But somewhere inside me, I knew that at some point, I was. Luckily, before my train of thoughts turned into a train wreck, footsteps over the wooden floor caught my attention.

"Damon," I stood up upon seeing him, threw my arms around him, drove my head into his chest, and decided damn to morals.

"Whoa. Easy tiger," he smirked.

I slowly let go and pressed my palm firmly onto my forehead, "You weren't answering my calls, I didn't even know where you were." I saw Damon's brows meet, seeing how stressed I was about him. Normally, I wouldn't be too candid about things like those. But sometimes normal just won't work, especially after a talk with a friend who has subtlety issues.

"I missed you too, Elena." He mocked, closed his lips a little bit, and did his thing with his eyes. I rolled my eyes and let out a little laugh. I was trying to conceal that he almost set me off. It had been happening more often recently and it had been getting harder to suppress whatever feeling it brought, a feeling I refuse to realize. Suddenly, the smile in my face dropped. Damon noticed it, and looked behind him. Clad in black dress, a woman of her twenties stood by the archway, her features molded into a promise of beauty, her brown curls settled near her perfectly shaped bosom.

A feeling of uneasiness ran through, and it was probably hinted in my face. Damon took my hand, and I held it back, firmly. We passed her, and headed to the door. Up-close, she looked more striking than fragile, more glowing than pristine, she was beautiful, and the thought made me even more restless. Damon opened the door, and I heard her say something, but both me and Damon disregarded it.

Outside, we headed to the car. I realized I still had his hands on mine, perfectly intact. I immediately removed it from his hold, _what am I doing?_ I was at war with myself.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong> : I think it's my habit not to make things progress too fast without reason. But surely, much more intense Delena scenes to come. Also, I hope you guys liked the future flash I worked on the first chapter. :) Reviews and comments are love. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer** : I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any and all of the characters and settings used.

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><p><strong>THE PERFECT CHOICE<strong>

**By Veronica Bali**

**Chapter 3 : Sacrifice**

We all knew it was crazy. But at least we had a plan: We are going to look for Elijah. It was a big risk, but apart from Mikael, he was our only chance. And we all agreed Elijah seemed to be easier to get along with than Mikael. Elijah's body was in Chicago, based on Bonnie's spell. Me and Damon will try our luck and find our once-ally tomorrow.

I pulled the blanket to cover my body. It had been too cold the past days in Virginia. I looked at my bedside clock, and it was already midnight. I eyed the ceiling, not seeming to take my mind off of the woman at the Salvatore's. Damon dropped his usual snarky comments the whole day, but not one word about the woman. I wanted to ask him a lot of times to feed my curiosity, but decided it wasn't really my business.

I almost dozed off when a built figure appeared in front of my bed, causing me to abruptly sit up in surprise. I completely awoke.

It was Damon.

I got off my bed and went for the lights. "It's already late, Damon," I muttered under my breath.

When I looked back at him, he was already facing the window. I was going to ask him what was wrong, but it was him who broke the silence, "Pamela –" He said, "The woman a while ago, I knew her from a long time ago, she lied to me 'bout her age." I heard a dragged simper, "Didn't know she was an original. Till now."

It all started to make sense. When I called and told him about Pamela, he drove to Kansas to confront her. _But why?_ I unknowingly crossed my arms, "Why didn't you tell me?" There was something in his eyes when he faced me. There was something he wasn't telling me. Something I had to squeeze out of him.

"Oh. So you're my secretary now?" He moved towards me. I put down my arms and gulped. Sometimes, when I feel like I'm getting through to Damon, he just shuts this huge barricade between us. I hate it. I hate that at times, it feels that he doesn't care, that he refuses to care.

"She could've just told us where Elijah was." I stiffened as I said the words.

"We both know that's not it." He said like he saw through my excuse, he moved closer than ever. Our gazes caught, and I flushed all over. I was overtaken by an anxious chill that made me want to escape. I didn't know what to say, and he probably saw that too. He bid goodnight and was almost out the door when I called out, "What do you mean?" I bit my lip. I knew I shouldn't have asked.

"I've taken my sweet precious time to think about this – "he orchestrated with his hands "- this _thing_ between us_,_" he cleared his throat, "since you're such a big fan of worrying, maybe you should try to think about it too."

_I have, Damon. Too many times. _I almost said it aloud. He looked at me with gaze that seemed to be looking right inside me. He was waiting for me to say something, anything. But it would be a sin if I did. He left without a word after, then I went back to bed, the drowsiness all gone.

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><p>I was already awake, but I refused to open my eyes. <em>How long have I been asleep?<em> I felt the car moving at its fullest speed, the wind brushing my face through the opened window. A part of me was jolted to go see Elijah. It was another chance to bring Stefan back, another chance to make things go back to normal. And maybe I needed a road trip after all, I needed to get away.

Damon was singing along to the song in the radio. _Well, that's something you don't see everyday._

Suddenly, the car lessened it speed. I felt Damon stroke my hair gently, then his fingertips brushed my face following its contour. _He thought I was still asleep_. It was too sweet to handle. A part of me wanted to open my eyes and catch him off guard. But somewhere inside, I wanted him to touch me. I wanted to let go… Breathe. Trust.

But I found myself opening my eyes, sending a confused look to him.

_Awkward much?_ The situation said it all.

"Where are we?" I asked, escaping the sticky moment.

He ran his fingers through the steering wheel, like playing the piano, "Almost there, sleepyhead."

The sun had already set when we arrived at an old warehouse in Chicago. It was right in the middle of nothingness, except trees… and well, more trees. Damon and I got out of the car and looked around, cautious that someone might be guarding the place. But strangely, it was quiet, too quiet actually.

"Stay here." Damon said protectively when I took a step closer to the warehouse. From a far, the wooden structure seemed too old that one push could make it crumble. In a second, Damon was at the door. He thrust it powerfully, leaving it swinging off of its hinges. He looked back at me, hinting me to follow him.

Inside were storage boxes that were covered in dust. There were a couple of broken chairs and tables on the left side, and on the other – our ticket to survival : Elijah's coffin.

"For once, luck is on our side," I said, realizing how easy it was to get Elijah back.

But naturally, I spoke too little too soon. We weren't even half near the coffin when a figure pushed Damon to the wall in lightning speed, pinning him to the creaky wall. He was about as tall as Damon, but maybe older. He seemed stronger in ways I couldn't imagine.

"Who are you?" Damon managed to say despite the tight grip of the stranger. But the stranger responded with a contemptuous laugh. I ran to them, not knowing what I should do, or how I should go about it. I weighed it in my mind, but I didn't have to, I was certain that I could not take the stranger.

"Please let him go. We'll leave, you'll never see us again," I raised the white flag and desperately pleaded. But the stranger showed no reaction to my assurance. I saw in Damon's eyes that he wanted me to escape, I covered my mouth with both of my hands, and shook my head. There was no way I was leaving him behind. I won't. I can't. I don't want to.

In one quick second, the odds were changed and Damon was the one pinning the stranger to the ground. His hand held a leg from the chair. Slowly, he pushed the wooden leg to the stranger's heart, and twisted it with force. The strangers face turned to ashen white, its veins popping in gray. The body dried up quicker than the sand.

Damon let out heaps of breath as he walked towards me. I was shaking in mixture of fear and anxiety, I brushed my teary eyes with the palm of my hands. When I cleared my look to Damon, blood rushed up to my face, adrenaline pumped through my heart. The stranger had stood up again, aiming Damon with the stake from behind.

"Damon, no!"

I rushed to his behind and felt liquid gush through my back, a bolt of incredible pain with it. I did not have inhuman abilities. And I do not know how I did it, but in an abrupt moment, Damon was carrying my body.

I put my hands in my back to feel what it was.

I had been staked.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong> : Please comment or review if you have time, it's what gets me going most. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer** : I do not own The Vampire Diaries or all and any of the characters and settings used.

**Author's Note** : I love this chapter. I hope you do too. Enjoy reading. As always, review is love :)

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><p><strong>THE PERFECT CHOICE<strong>

**By Veronica Bali**

**Chapter 4 : Goodbye, Sanity**

My wounded body fell on Damon's arms. Antagonizing pain took over as I tried to keep my eyes open. I saw Damon's terror screaming through his body. He shook his head endlessly, "No… no… Elena. Stay with me," he whispered.

I have seen a lot of Damon's emotions. I saw him angry, remorseful, guilty, and much seldom, happy. But the feeling I saw in his eyes… It was something I have never seen in him. It was something I have always wanted to see… _Love_.

_I want to tell you something_. I screamed in my head. But no matter how hard I tried to open my mouth, I couldn't speak. I couldn't move.

_I need to tell you something._

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><p>I must have blacked out for a long while, because the next thing I knew, I was curled up on Damon's bed. I tried to sit up but every time I would move even an inch, my whole body ached like I was beaten up for days. I looked to the left side of the bed, and my gut churned. Pamela was sitting beside me, a smile plastered on her face.<p>

"Hi."

I didn't reply back. Apart from her being a stranger, I didn't feel good the first time I saw her. My gut feeling told me we weren't going to get along. Added to the fact that it was too bad a day for me to start making new vampire friends.

"Do you need anything? Water, maybe?"

I knew my face read confusion. Despite her friendly English accent, I wasn't too close to trusting an Original, considering the first three I've met.

"Where's Damon?" my voice was still husky.

"He's winding down," she took a wet towel from the bedside and started wiping my face, I cringed and signaled stop with my hands. I didn't like how she acted too pally.

"Winding down?" I asked.

Even before Pamela could answer, Damon stormed in the room. I looked at his eyes and knew for certain that it was rage displayed.

"Get out." He said sternly to Pamela. And for the weirdest reason, I felt eased. Without a word, Pamela left and it was just me and Damon in the room. He walked back and forth, his hands gripped his hips. I could see he was still agitated. Whatever it was that he did to wind down, it did not help. At all.

In a matter of minutes, he was going to explode. And to my worry, I could not even move my body. I flinched when Damon snarled furiously, "You just love sacrificing yourself, don't you?"

"I wasn't going to just watch and let you get –"I gasped, frightened by his enraged eyes.

"Well the next time you want to go get staked, give me the heads up so I can at least get you a medal for it!" he shouted in an absurd angry rush. He took the glass in the bedside, and threw it right to the wall. The shards of glass fell clinking to my ears. He needed to break something. He just had to.

My chest rose and fell in agitation. I took a deep breath and desperately appealed to his reason, "I know I scared you. And I'm sorry. But I saw him Damon, he was right behind you. I didn't know what else to do…" I slowly sat up. I wanted to reach him. I wanted to ease his worry. But my body still could not handle it. A second after I was able to stand up, my whole body dragged me down to the floor. Damon caught me in inhuman speed, and I could've sworn his face was too close, I already felt his breath.

His blue eyes stared right into mine, I almost lost control. "Don't you ever. Do that. Again." His austere voice echoed through my ears, it sounded more of a command than a request. And I nodded helplessly. I knew that when it comes down to that same situation, I wouldn't even hesitate to sacrifice myself again.

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><p>My body was too tired that I dozed off a couple minutes after my argument with Damon. Right before I fell asleep, he told me what happened after I got wounded. Apparently, the stranger at the warehouse was an Original, Pamela's brother, Enrique. Enrique fled after he had wounded me, a surprise to me and Damon. After Damon gave me his blood, he tried to awaken Elijah. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Pamela said that the only supernatural being that could remove the dagger was a witch. I wanted to think of a plan right then, but Damon told me he will not bring me home until I have rested completely.<p>

I woke up, took my phone and called Jeremy, who was apparently sleeping. I didn't realize it was already midnight. I didn't give him details of what exactly happened; the last thing I would want is for him to worry about me.

I walked to the parlor to bid goodbye to Damon and go back home. I had to think of a plan to save Stefan. It had been too crazy the past days, and I'm pretty sure my mind was somewhere else. I had to focus. It seems that I'm forgetting my goal, bringing back the real Stefan.

Pamela sat by the couch, clasping a glass of wine with her hands. _I keep bumping onto her._ It's starting to feel uncomfortable.

"You're leaving?" she asked.

"Where's Damon?" I've been asking that awfully a lot the past days.

"Something about a friend of his, Alaric."

She signaled me to sit down in front of her. I thought thrice about it, but I realized there were a lot of things I wanted to ask her. And I had a feeling she was not one to keep silent. She offered me wine, and I gladly drank some.

As I guessed, she began to tell her story, "I met Damon five years ago. As you know, Klaus had killed my entire family. I knew before hand that he was going to get rid of us. I told one of my trusted companions about it, and ten years after Klaus killed us, he found me and Enrique down by Tennessee. He awoke us." A lengthy pause. "Then we were on an endless run, hiding from Klaus, not letting him know we are still alive. You had a run-in with Enrique because he was also trying to look for our older brother, Elijah."

She took the stem of her wine glass, and shook it lightly, closely gazing the liquor.

"Why didn't you tell Damon you were an Original?" I had to ask.

Her reply took me by surprise, "Because… I loved Damon," she said it with too much passion, emphasizing every word. "And I still do. Knowing I'm an original would endanger him." I felt my stomach turn, a pang of unexplainable pain in my heart. I tried my hardest to keep myself in check, to keep Pamela from knowing that a part of me crumbled inside. And that I didn't know why.

"Why did you leave him then?"

She laughed softly, "If anyone can leave Damon, I would want to meet her," she took me aback, "_He_ left me, Elena."

_Mostly, he's just a walk-away Joe_. I remembered what an old friend of Damon told me about him. It came off a little bit funny because it never crossed my mind that Damon would leave me or Stefan, or that he would abandon everything. I couldn't see why he would do such thing. Not to me, he won't. _Especially not to me._ I was way in over my head, but that's how it all plays out in my thoughts. I trust Damon.

Pamela probably saw that my thoughts were all over the place. "You _do _know he loves you, right?" I almost choked on my wine, it was a statement, not a question. I did not know what to reply, or even if I should.

"You let him in." she observed idly, it was starting to seem more of a therapy than a conversation. Maybe she feasted on my abashed face, she continued, "You let him in. Just little touches here and there, He stands so close to you, getting you used to him. Because you feel something too, but you don't want to admit it."

I swallowed, and cleared my throat, "I'm his brother's girlfriend."

"You keep telling yourself things you already know, Elena." She said as I stood up, ready to leave the scene, "You should try figuring out those you don't."

I headed to the door, her words echoing in my head. Though it sounded like a line taken from a collection of quotes book, I perfectly understood what she meant. But I can't. I can't think about me and Damon. Not when everything inside me screams guilt. Not when every part of me screams chagrin. I just have to keep on burying it, keep on shoving it somewhere in my head until ther –.

"Damon." I saw the man of my dilemma in front of me. My eyes caught his handsome features, the ease with which he wore his black shirt, the casual way he put his hands on his pocket, and I took notice of every painfully familiar thing about him.

"You're leaving?" he asked.

"Jer might be worried." I replied. Without another word, I passed by him, and headed towards my car. I was too scared he would see through my confusion. To my surprise, he didn't say anything too.

I rummaged my purse. _I can't find the frigging key_. I exclaimed inwardly upon reaching the car. I looked back to Damon; he was still standing at the porch, his back facing me. _Whatever happens next is the key's fault._ I whispered convincingly to myself.

Slowly, I walked back to Damon, not knowing why. He probably heard my steps, he faced me with his baffled expression.

"Damon. I have something to tell you." I said upon reaching the porch.

He waited for it. Maybe it was two minutes, maybe even fifteen, I was just silent. Somewhere in me, I found a streak of confidence to say it, "I won't lie." I glued my sight to him, "I will keep on doing it again. And again. No matter how many times it will take. I will keep on sacrificing myself. I will keep on saving you."

I saw astound form in his eyes, the tension building up in his powerful shoulders. He wasn't going to say anything. Not yet. I took a deep breath, "I wanted to tell you that you're worth saving –" I unknowingly smiled, "–to me."

I knew it was one of those situations I just had to avoid.

I tightened my grip on the ledge, too scared that I might fall off balance from the absorbing gaze Damon gave me. Heat washed over me and my heart worked in quick beats. His dark hair and chiseled features made me stare at him without blinking. But it was his eyes that caught me off guard, the icy blue color you could just never forget. He moved towards me, closing the last inch that separated us, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. He placed one of his hands onto the back of my neck, the other traveled up my spine, sending shivers through my body.

"Now is your only chance to leave, Elena," Damon warned me. Though it sounded more of a tease than a heads-up.

_I think I should probably go,_ I wanted to say it. I wanted to run and hide. But instead, I stood there like a curious little girl wanting to see what would happen next.

Slowly, he bent his head and eased his searching lips over mine. His mouth caught my top lip, then my lower one. I put my fists between us, my arms clutched over my chest. I couldn't make myself push him away, but neither could I let him hold me completely. Every time I thought the kiss might stop, it went on longer and deeper. And it felt good. I have to admit that it did. I tried to desperately grasp to my fleeing sanity, but when he slid his tongue inside my lips, I knew I had lost the fight. I leaned to him and let him part my lips. His arms tightened around me, locking me against his chest, his mouth needing mine.

I never thought kissing Damon would be such a sweet remorse. He was too gentle that I had to open my eyes and make sure it was really him. It surprised me that Damon, who seemed to always have the upper hand, was fighting for control and self-restraint.

I was sure he didn't want to push me. But deep inside, I knew he wanted to take all of me.

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong> : The future flash is finally revealed! :D


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